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Feb 13, 2011

Inspired by: cakes

Saturday afternoons are usually reserved for craft time! Once I put little Chase down for his nap, Alaina and I sit down and chit-chat about possible craft ideas. I held my breathe hoping that she wasn't going to say the chicken nugget matching game or another round of Pretty-Pretty Princess. (both of which I've played today.) So, I was pleasantly surprised (and a little relieved) when she mentioned wanting to make a big paper cake. Ahhh, now that I can do!

We skipped down to my craft room to pick out supplies and Alaina dug through the box of paper punches. I organize all of my paper scraps by color, so I put all of the plastic draws of paper on the floor so she could pick her own paper. It was cute to see her decide what color 'frosting' to use. This was a great kids art project and it used alot of my left-over supplies - got to love that!!

We put together a little tutorial-idea post for these paper cakes. The best part is deciding on the flavor-name combinations! The instructions are going to be super simple, they're the same directions I gave to Alaina (she's 6 years old) to help her make her own cake. I'll show you a couple of variations by just adding a few more details that will make your cake scrapbook worthy or perfect for gift-wrapping and cards!! :)

Supplies:

paper scissorsscrap paperglue-stick or Glue Dots

Directions:

1. cut out a rectangle for the cake.

2. Cut out strips of paper for the frosting.

3. cut out a larger rectangle for the top frosting, tear gently along the bottom edge or use a pair of shaped scissors.

4. cut out one more thin strip of paper for the very top of the cake.

5. Use a glue stick, or glue dots to glue all of the layers together. Or if your sewing machine is handy you can sew all of the layers! Trim the excess paper from the edges of the cake.

6. Make a flower for the top of the cake by hand cutting a few circles (or you can use a paper punch) and layer them together using glue-dots. Leaves can be made by cutting football's, as I explained it to Alaina, from different shades of green papers.

here's our Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Want to see some more little cakes and cupcakes? :) We had a great time naming each cake this afternoon, Alaina has quite the imagination!! The names are written under each cake. (sorry it's a little difficult to see the names, they blended in too well!)

Once you've made a couple of cakes you'll probably wonder what to do with them! Here's a couple of ideas A and I came up with... feel free to add to my list!! This sweet cupcake was made from a coffee sleeve, fabric, a handmade felt flower and a bit of yellow lace. I decided it would be the perfect little cake gift-tag for a small gift.

To make a tiny card: cut a plain white A4 card in half and used a paper punch to scallop the bottom of the card. I added a little piece of ledger paper to the front and glued the cupcake to the card. I love-love small cards like this with just enough room to write something sweet! I used the other half of the card to turn a whole cake into a little card.

I think it would be a super cute idea to glue a magnet onto the back of some small cupcakes. Or, if you make a small fabric cupcake, sew a flat pin-back to the back of the cake and wear as a dessert pin! My favorite is a gift tag though, I think it's perfect tucked into a little girls present!!

I have a feeling Alaina and I will be making more of these cakes, they are alot of fun once you get started! I should also mention that Alaina made a strawberry chocolate cake, but when I wanted to photograph it today she informed me that it still needed some finishing touches. :) I'll add a photo of her cake tomorrow.

I have been a blurker for a long time and today I thought I'd say hi. valentines Day in Australia is not quite as big a celebration but I adore these Valentines cakes. They are so cute and when I show my miss 8 Alaina's cake, I know she will want to create one too. Have a hapy week!

This is such a sweet idea! Our daughter will be hosting a party this week end and it will be a perfect activity to make their own cakes! Thank so much for the inspiration!YvonnePS: Maybe I will make some cakes for me as well.......

Tara, these are the cutest thing ever! As soon as you posted these I knew I had to try them sometime. Yesterday I made some of my own and they are just so fun! Thanks so much for the inspiration! You are amazing!If you'd like to take a peek, my little cakes are on my blog here:http://sweetpapertreats.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/birthday-cakes-tara-style/

Dear Tara! We had a party and the guests made their own cakes after your tutorial. We did not sew onto them but they looked pretty anyhow and I felt like having a small patisserie shop over here!http://moline.typepad.com/moline/2011/03/partying-again.htmlThank you so much again for the inspiration!Yvonne

hi Tara, saw your great work at DIOL and I'm so impressed, what a great work you make, if it is alright with you I'll take your blog ☺ with me too Germany, so I can visit you more often. Thank you fot this tutorial, best wishes from Janine (jeanys Brunnen)